All Railway Gazette International articles in August 2002
All articles published this month.
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News
Torino trials
Sir - I was very interested to read the report about Torino in the latest issue of Metro Report (MR 02 p51). Unfort-unately, it contains a number of errors, and some expectations which I feel are unrealistic.The main error is that the southern end of tram Line 4 has never ...
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News
Sidetrack
Shot to piecesNOW underway in Russia is the disposal of the former Soviet Union’s fleet of rail vehicles equipped to transport and launch SS-24 intercontinental ballistic missiles. These wagons could be moved around as necessary, so that the missiles could be launched from anywhere on the vast SZD rail network.Scrapping ...
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News
Publications
Underground to EverywhereStephen HallidayThis entertaining social and economic history of the oldest and largest metro shows how what we now call Enronitis delivered wealth to some unscrupulous promoters but scant dividends to investors. Formation of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933 brought public ownership and a flowering of reliable ...
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News
Turning points
GE Transportation Systems Global Signaling has acquired part of Railway Technology Inc’s point machine range. The deal covers RTI’s model 3000, model 3000LP, and model 3000ES Hydra-Switch products. The points machines can be worked remotely from a control centre or locomotive cab, and can be powered either from a local ...
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News
Predicting point wear
CURRENTS in point machine motors can be measured using the PointSenz PCM10 family of waterproof Hall-effect transducers from LEM. Measurements of the DC supply to the point motor are logged to produce a profile of current used against time. A variation from the normal profile may indicate the possibility of ...
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News
Turkish plans
BIDS WERE opened on June 17 for a feasibility study of the planned Polatli - Afyon cut-off in Turkey. Lowest bidder is Akum Mimarlik, at 162 000bn lire. Together with upgrading between Afyon and Usak, the link is intended to shorten the route from Ankara to Izmir (RG 12.94 p808).The ...
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News
Uruguayan rescue plan
AS THE GOVERNMENT considers options for the future of the Uruguayan railway network, including its transformation into a state-owned infrastructure company, AFE has submitted an investment plan to the office of the President which would see US$45m spent on upgrading a smaller network. AFE Vice-President Roberto Médica said that ’the ...
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News
PEOPLE
The President & Chairman of Mozambique’s Board of Ports & Railways Rui Fonseca has been elected Deputy President of the Southern Africa Railways Association.Amtrak has appointed Jonathan Klein as Chief Mechanical Officer.Dieter Meile has been appointed interim General Manager of Switzerland’s Mittelthurgaubahn, following the departure of Peter Joss.Hans Amacker has ...
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News
Paducah sold
NATIONAL Railway Equipment Co has acquired the assets of loco remanufacturer VMV Enterprises, which closed in April owing to a shortage of orders (RG 5.02 p269). NRE planned to restart production at the Paducah, Kentucky, works on July 8, but did not indicate how many of VMV’s 240 staff it ...
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News
VR orders more
FINNISH Railways announced on June 26 that it had exercised two options to buy additional rolling stock from Alstom. The first, worth €115m, is for eight 220 km/h six-car Pendolino tilting trains to be delivered from spring 2004.The second is for a further 20 Class Sr4 suburban EMUs for operation ...
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PPP progress is mixed
THE UK Health & Safety Executive announced on July 10 that it had accepted Version 3.1 of London Underground’s Railway Safety Case. This contains the necessary modifications to the existing Version 3.0 to permit the transfer of the three infrastructure companies to the private sector under the Public-Private Partnership proposals ...
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News
Metros
Canada: Toronto Transit Commission Chairman Brian Ashton confirmed last month that the C$934m Sheppard metro line will open on November 24.Czech Republic: Later this year Most-Litvinov will take delivery of a second 20m low-floor Skoda Type 03T tram. Skoda has again won a contract to supply 15 of the vehicles ...
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News
Market
Austria: Bombardier has won a €16m contract from ÖBB to supply 258 heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units to upgrade coaches used on international services by April 2006.Europe: The Intergovernmental Commission developing the cross-border link between Perpignan in France and Figueres in Spain has picked the Euroferro consortium as preferred bidder ...
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News
Lounge upgrade unveiled
EUROSTAR opened its refurbished first class lounge at London Waterloo International station (right) on June 20. Branded as Le Salon, refurbishment of the eight-year-old lounge was overseen by French designer Philippe Starck as part of the company's £35m 'Welcome to the new Eurostar' project. Starck said he based his 'unique ...
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News
Millennium line ready
THIS MONTH is due to see the start of full services on Vancouver’s second SkyTrain line. The initial section of the 20·9 km Millennium line from Columbia to Braid opened on January 5 (RG 2.02 p65). The remainder from Braid to Commercial Drive will open on August 31, adding nine ...
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News
Ultra light rail
THE TOWN of Kalamata in the southern Peleponnese, which has 55000 inhabitants, has backed plans to build a metre-gauge ’ultra light rail’ line, using equipment from the UK-based Sustraco consortium. Funding for the £5m scheme will come from the Greek government and European Investment Bank, including money allocated for earthquake ...
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News
KCRC wins Sha Tin link
ON JUNE 25 Hong Kong’s Acting Secretary for Transport Paul Tang Kwok-wai announced a feasibility study into the merger of MTR Corp and Kowloon - Canton Railway Corp. A merged company would have net assets worth HK$148bn, and analysts estimate that savings worth up to HK$100m a year would be ...
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News
Northern Ireland invests
UK: New stock for Translink's Northern Ireland Railways and a rapid transit network in Belfast are the key rail elements in a 10-year Regional Transportation Strategy announced by regional development minister Peter Robinson last month. As part of the government's 25-year Regional Development Strategy, £1·4bn is to be invested ...
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News
On-board information upgrade
VOSSLOH System-Technik is equipping 1200 DB inter-city carriages and 145 locomotives with communication networks to improve passenger information.There will be route indicators on carriage exteriors, interior displays providing up-to-date information on arrival times and connections, and seat reservation displays. All screens will be modernised, with a uniform design. The on-train ...